Alternatives to cutting/bending or using a floating dip tube

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jameswatsonuk

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Hi folks, happy new year!
I keg with corny kegs, and I use priming sugar to carbonate naturally.

I quite like this method as it fits in with my routine, and mostly good results - when patience is applied before.

However, last batch took while to run clear so a few of the first pints were faulty yeasty, which interfered with hop favour profile (lots of flameout Galaxy). It cleared and improved with time, but got me thinking about workarounds.

I don’t fancy making any alterations to the standard dip tubes in my kegs or going down the floating route. Has anyone had any luck with just pushing a short length of silicon tube on the end of ann unaltered liquid-out dip tube so that it draws from just above the bottom of the keg. Maybe attaching one of those cheap eBay filter/traps to the end of the hose so that it lies just an inch off the bottom?
 
you can attach any length of silicon diptube to the ss diptube you want after cutting both and adjust accordingly.

i have even made an adjustable one by putting a few turns of teflon tape on a peice of silicon diptube and inserting that inside a shortened ss diptube. it seals and can be lengthened or shortened just by sliding it in or out of the tube., ( this post maybe needs a pg-13 rating🤔 )
 
you can attach any length of silicon diptube to the ss diptube you want after cutting both and adjust accordingly.

i have even made an adjustable one by putting a few turns of teflon tape on a peice of silicon diptube and inserting that inside a shortened ss diptube. it seals and can be lengthened or shortened just by sliding it in or out of the tube., ( this post maybe needs a pg-13 rating🤔 )
Granted, that would do the job…but that involves modifying the dip tube
 
I can understand the desire to keep your diptube intact in the event you may want to revert to 'original' in the future, but I can't understand why you seem resistant to using a floating diptube? They exist soley as a solution to sediment in a keg and come with thier own short replacement diptube. The only modification is done with a wrench and you put your original diptube in storage until you want to restore it.
Sorry... I'm just trying to understand your objection to these 'god-sends' of the homebrewing universe.
(just in case you haven't looked at them:)
https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/floatingdiptube.htm
https://www.ebay.com/str/homebrewerlab
 
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807572463579.html?src=google&pdp_npi=4@dis!USD!7.60!7.60!!!!!@!12000042106799528!ppc!!!&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=708-803-3821&isdl=y&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&aff_platform=google&aff_short_key=UneMJZVf&gclsrc=aw.ds&albagn=888888&ds_e_adid=&ds_e_matchtype=&ds_e_device=c&ds_e_network=x&ds_e_product_group_id=&ds_e_product_id=en3256807572463579&ds_e_product_merchant_id=107461125&ds_e_product_country=US&ds_e_product_language=en&ds_e_product_channel=online&ds_e_product_store_id=&ds_url_v=2&albcp=19678427463&albag=&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA1eO7BhATEiwAm0Ee-G7IC41B-B3317_pil_o511ZqQQiLuXRfxtQQ-0FYNfDiHS52Ke-fhoCtA4QAvD_BwE&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa


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yeah that little metal piece .

will allow you to keep your original diptube unmodified.

i was afraid of them at first but wont go back now.
 
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Yeah, maybe I should just accept that the floating dip tube is the correct course of action. Probably overthinking this- wouldn’t be my first overthink 😀

I use closed transfers to fill the kegs and have become of the belief that there should be as little inside the keg as possible to prevent stirring up the beer on exit from the fermenter to entry to the keg to prevent oxidation. I don’t usually bother fully purging and pressurising the keg with CO2 before filling, mainly because I used Sodastream tanks for gas, and they are a relatively expensive source. I do burp the headspace and “seal” with co2 after filling though.

Floating dip tubes seem to complicate the in-keg environment, and are another thing to clean and sanitise I guess
 
I use closed transfers to fill the kegs and have become of the belief that there should be as little inside the keg as possible to prevent stirring up the beer on exit from the fermenter to entry to the keg to prevent oxidation. I don’t usually bother fully purging and pressurising the keg with CO2 before filling, mainly because I used Sodastream tanks for gas, and they are a relatively expensive source.
A closed transfer into a keg full of air seems like a waste of time. Fortunately, you don't have to use your sodastream cylinders to purge your kegs. Read this thread.
 
Putting hoppy beers in a keg that hasn't been fully LIQUID displacement purged is a waste of time.

You can't get a piece of silicone tubing on the bottom of an unmodified diptube. It's probably 1mm away from the bottom.
 
A closed transfer into a keg full of air seems like a waste of time. Fortunately, you don't have to use your sodastream cylinders to purge your kegs. Read this thread.
This is actually genius, and confirms a theory I already had. I’ll be trying purging the kegs with fermentation exhaust on my next brew for sure 👌
 
My concern with floating dip tubes (I am half and half ... 3 kegs with floater, 3 with just std diptube) is during transfer from the ferm to the corny. Sometimes I get a chunk of trub ... Wouldn't that get stuck in the filter chamber and then beers being poured have to go thru that? Basically - just a concern as I haven't had any problems and like the floaters because one can serve beers a few days before the std diptube because the batch is still "settling" out.

Is there any reason to be concerned about trub getting stuck in the filter while transferring beer from ferm to keg?
 
Putting hoppy beers in a keg that hasn't been fully LIQUID displacement purged is a waste of time.

You can't get a piece of silicone tubing on the bottom of an unmodified diptube. It's probably 1mm away from the bottom.
I wouldn’t call it a total waste of time though. Main reason I close transfer is to avoid having to use the (despised) autosiphon with my carboys. I spoilt a previous batch using an autosiphon as air got trapped in the line when pumped so the whole batch was a stream of bubbles and got oxidised from the start. Will never use one of those things again!

Can’t say I’ve noticed any MAJOR detriment to flavour from not pre-purging the kegs so far, but I accept that it is not 100% optimal
 
Second. I have about 5 kegs with these now, a couple 3 gallon and a couple 5 gallon. You just cut the hose to the length you need.

Every once in awhile I get one that doesn’t float quite right and pulls air off the top instead of beer. Usually not real hard to fix by either turning the silicone hose to a different position or adjusting the floating ball.
No stainless nut over the tube? Really does make a difference..I wish the dealers would include a properly sized wieght as standard.
@jameswatsonuk : Give yourself some peace-of-mind and take a look through this thread that addresses the issues and offers easy solutions: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...s-problems-causes-fixes-solutions-etc.698417/
:mug:
 
I wouldn’t call it a total waste of time though. Main reason I close transfer is to avoid having to use the (despised) autosiphon with my carboys. I spoilt a previous batch using an autosiphon as air got trapped in the line when pumped so the whole batch was a stream of bubbles and got oxidised from the start. Will never use one of those things again!

Can’t say I’ve noticed any MAJOR detriment to flavour from not pre-purging the kegs so far, but I accept that it is not 100% optimal
Ok, maybe "total" is a little hyperbole. The point is that if you're already modifying your process to make something better, you might as well take it to its logical conclusion. Keep the oxygen away from beer, especially hoppy ones. Even if you can't notice the difference (now), you will when you fix it.
 
My concern with floating dip tubes (I am half and half ... 3 kegs with floater, 3 with just std diptube) is during transfer from the ferm to the corny. Sometimes I get a chunk of trub ... Wouldn't that get stuck in the filter chamber and then beers being poured have to go thru that? Basically - just a concern as I haven't had any problems and like the floaters because one can serve beers a few days before the std diptube because the batch is still "settling" out.

Is there any reason to be concerned about trub getting stuck in the filter while transferring beer from ferm to keg?
I don't use the little canister filter on the float at all. I've never clogged my line, but if I did I would just blast some CO2 backwards to blow it out.
 
Ok, maybe "total" is a little hyperbole. The point is that if you're already modifying your process to make something better, you might as well take it to its logical conclusion. Keep the oxygen away from beer, especially hoppy ones. Even if you can't notice the difference (now), you will when you fix it.
FWIW I kegged a pale ale and the next day I bottled from the keg. The bottle beer was hardly exposed to O2, capped on foam, O2 scavenger caps, etc. After a month, I tried a bottle and keg beer side-by-side, and the keg beer was noticably superior.

It doesn't take much O2 to damage a beer if you're going to store it.
 
Ok, thanks all for the feedback. I’ve decided I’ll be leaving the liquid dip tube intact and install an addition liquid post in the keg lid to serve via floating dip tube.

I’ll also have a go at using fermentation exhaust gas to purge kegs of air before filling - on that actually, seems this is quite a regular thing for those who ferment in kegs, but has anybody had this work from just a carboy blow-off tube?

I’m thinking I’d need quite a robust airtight seal from the carboy to the gas post to do a liquid (sanister) purge. Is it sufficient to purge kegs without liquid by running the fermentation gas in through the liquid post and venting out through the gas post, displacing the air with co2 coming in through the bottom of the keg?
 
has anybody had this work from just a carboy blow-off tube?
Yes. The type of fermenter doesn't matter. I've done it with buckets, carboys and Fermonsters. You are correct that you have to have good seals everywhere so the gas goes where it needs to.
Is it sufficient to purge kegs without liquid by running the fermentation gas in through the liquid post and venting out through the gas post, displacing the air with co2 coming in through the bottom of the keg?
Yes. All explained in the thread linked above.
 
Yes. The type of fermenter doesn't matter. I've done it with buckets, carboys and Fermonsters. You are correct that you have to have good seals everywhere so the gas goes where it needs to.

Yes. All explained in the thread linked above.
Gotta admit I skipped to the good bit on that one! Still, even with another skim-read, I’m convinced. That’s an excellent thread.
 
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